University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Travel To Harvard For Tuesday Night Action
November 16, 2015 | Men's Basketball
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Weekly Release | |
| Game Two | Massachusetts (1-0 Overall) at Harvard (1-1) |
| Date | Time | Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Lavietes Pavilion (2,195) | Cambridge, Mass. | Directions |
| Live Statistics | Presto Sports |
| Watch | Ivy League Digital Network | NESN National (Check Local Listings) |
| Listen (Radio) | 105.5 FM WEEI (Western Massachusetts), 830 AM WCRN (Worcester), 95.9 FM WATD (South Shore), 1200 AM WXKS (Boston, Manchester, Providence) |
| Listen (Online) | WEEI Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Series History | UMass leads, 15-11. Last meeting: Harvard 75, UMass 73; Nov. 29, 2014 |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | Harvard | Atlantic 10 | Ivy League |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Harvard |
| @UMassAthletics | @UMassBasketball | #GoUMass | |
| UMass Athletics | |
| Buy Tickets | Available through Harvard Athletics |
UMass-Harvard Scouting Report
UMass men's basketball and Harvard continue the renewal of their rivalry with a 7 p.m. game at Lavietes Pavilion on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Minutemen lead the all-time series, 15-11, but dropped the latest edition, 75-73 at Harvard on Nov. 29, 2014.
Harvard is 1-1 with a 59-39 victory over MIT and 76-64 loss at Providence. The Crimson are missing a key component to their 2014-15 success in senior All-Ivy League selection Siyani Chambers, who had 9.9 points, 4.3 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game during last season. Also gone from the 2014-15 NCAA Tournament team is Wesley Saunders, who graduated after he led the team with 16.6 points per game as a senior one year ago.
Through two games, a pair of freshmen pace the squad in scoring as Corey Johnson nets 13.0 points per game and Tommy McCarthy adds 10.5 on average. Senior Agunwa Okolie follows with 10.0 while Zena Edosomwan contributes 11.0 rebounds in 24.0 minutes play per appearance.
Follow UMass Athletics And UMass Basketball On Twitter
Instant information on the basketball program, including an inside look at key points and statistics in each game as well as updates from practice and other team events are available via the Twitter handle @UMassBasketball. Follow the Minutemen there and catch information about each University of Massachusetts Athletic Department program through @UMassAthletics.
Clark Picks Up Where He Left Off
Donte Clark scored in double figures during each of the final five games of his true freshman season in 2014-15 and averaged 14.4 points per game in the span. He started the 2015-16 campaign on a similar note as Clark finished 8-of-12 on field goal attempts for 16 points during the comeback win over Howard (11/14).
Davis' Late-Game Heroics Versus Howard
Trey Davis scored 19 points over 34 minutes played against Howard in the season-opener, 12 of which came during the final three minutes, 30 seconds of the contest. These 12 points spurred the Minutemen on to their 14-point comeback as Davis went 7-of-8 at the foul line and 2-of-3 from the floor in that span. One of his two made baskets late in the game was a long-range 3-pointer Davis swished from just outside the edge of UMass center court logo.
Starting The Season Off Right
UMass began its 2015-16 campaign with an 85-79 victory over Howard on Nov. 14, marking the sixth consecutive season Massachusetts opened with a win. The last time the Minutemen did not start the year triumphantly was 2009-10, when the squad dropped an 84-67 game at UCF. The squad is 7-1 during their first game of each of Derek Kellogg's seasons as head coach and 74-34 all-time (.685) in its openers.
14-Point Comeback Versus Howard Among Best In Kellogg's Era
UMass men's basketball erased a 14-point second half deficit against Howard in the 2015-16 season-opener, the largest comeback by the program since Massachusetts turned a 17-point disadvantage at Drexel into a 72-70 victory on March 20, 2012.
It was 99 games between Minuteman comebacks of at least 14 points. During Derek Kellogg's tenure as head coach, the Minutemen own five victories after they trailed by 14 or more points. It is also the second-largest second half deficit overcome by a Kellogg-led team behind only the triumph over Drexel.
UMass To Honor John Calipari
As part of a 20th anniversary of the UMass men's basketball 1995-96 Final Four team, the University of Massachusetts Athletic Department will honor former head coach John Calipari during the 2015-16 season with a banner raising ceremony before the contest against New Orleans on Dec. 16.
Calipari, who is expected to be on-hand for the pregame ceremony, led UMass to five consecutive Atlantic 10 titles and as many straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Calipari, who guided the Minutemen from 1988-96, finished his tenure with 193 victories, including 91 versus league opponents. Calipari's banner will join the retired jerseys of five all-time Minuteman greats: George "Trigger" Burke (No. 32), Marcus Camby (21), Julius "Dr. J." Erving (32), Lou Roe (15) and Al Skinner (30).
Cady Lalanne Chosen In 2015 NBA Draft UMass men's basketball senior center Cady Lalanne was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round with the 55th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Lalanne became the first Minuteman since Stephane Lasme (2007) to be chosen in the NBA Draft and 16th all-time from UMass. He was the only player picked from an Atlantic 10 Conference school.
Basketball Moves In To Champions Center
The University of Massachusetts men's and women's basketball program moved into their first dedicated team facility during the Summer 2015 with the introduction of the John Francis Kennedy Champions Center for UMass Basketball. The 53,000-square foot building offers a state-of-the-art facility for the Minutemen and Minutewomen that will benefit generations of basketball student-athletes to come.
The structure is named in honor of longtime athletics support John Francis Kennedy, who donated the lead gift of $11 million toward the project. The 53,000-square foot facility houses the daily operations for the UMass men's and women's basketball programs. The $22-million facility features dedicated practice courts for each team, office space for the coaching staffs, locker rooms and areas for strength and conditioning along with athletic training services. It also contains Legacy Hall, which will display the rich history of UMass basketball along the building's Eastern corridor.
The creation of the facility has several additional benefits for the University, the community and other programs within the athletics department. Current space utilized in the Mullins Center for basketball will be converted to additional support areas for athletics. The dedicated practice space for the basketball program will allow more open dates for the Mullins Center to schedule entertainment groups such as concerts, theatrical productions and other performers. The teams will no longer need to schedule practices in the Curry Hicks Cage as well, which will allow more time for other athletics programs and University-related organizations to use the space.
John F. Kennedy holds multiple degrees from a pair of University of Massachusetts campuses, including a bachelor's in mathematics UMass Lowell (then known as Lowell Technological Institute) in 1970 and a master's in accounting from the flagship campus in Amherst in 1976. The Naples, Fla., resident is the retired President and CFO of Nova Ventures Corp., of Woburn, Mass. Kennedy founded the Kennedy Foundation, which supports academic efforts at the University of Massachusetts and UMass Lowell. In the Spring 2014, he was awarded the UMass Amherst Distinguished Achievement Award. Additionally, he is the Past President of the UMass Amherst Foundation.